Jerusalem. Israel said on Saturday that it had freed four hostages from Hamas’ clutches, who were kidnapped by the Palestinian extremist organization Hamas during an attack on October 7. The army said it rescued Noa Arghamani (25), Almog Meir (21), Andrey Kozlov (27) and Shlomi Ziv (40) in a complex operation in Nuseirat. It said that the hostages were rescued from two different locations in the center of Nuseirat.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s government media office says 210 Palestinians were killed and more than 400 injured in an “Israeli massacre” at the Nuseirat refugee camp. The health ministry in Gaza said a “large number” of dead and injured arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital on Saturday, most of them children and women.
According to Al Jazeera, a statement issued by Gaza said, “Dozens of injured people are lying on the ground, and medical teams are trying to save them with the basic medical capabilities available.” Officials said that the hospital’s main generator has stopped working due to a lack of fuel, as well as a shortage of medicine and food.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, heavy fighting took place in central Gaza where the hostages were rescued and at least 210 people, including children, were killed in several attacks on Saturday. Khalil Degran, an official at a hospital in central Gaza, said that heavy fighting was continuing at the place in Gaza from where the Israeli army released four hostages on Saturday morning.
He said that about 200 bodies of Palestinians were brought to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Der al-Balah and more than 400 injured were also brought. Israel says that more than 130 hostages are still alive, about a quarter of whom are believed to be dead. There is growing anger among the people in Israel on the issue of return of hostages. The total number of hostages rescued alive during the operation since the start of the war has reached seven.
Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 people. After this, the war between Israel and Hamas started. About half of the hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire in November. The Israeli army said that the four hostages who were freed were taken by helicopter for medical examination and they were able to meet their loved ones after being in the clutches of the kidnappers for 246 days.
Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 8, 2024, 22:34 IST